CHAPTER II

DISCUSSTION
A.DEFINITION

Need Analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating needs (see sample definitions
below) in a community or other defined population of people. The identification of needs is a
process of describing problems of a target population and possible solutions to these
problems. A need has been described as:

A gap between what is and what should be. (Witkin et al., 1995)
A gap between real and ideal that is both acknowledged by community values and
potentially amenable to change. (Reviere, 1996, p. 5)
May be different from such related concepts as wants (something people are
willing to pay for) or demands (something people are willing to march for).
(McKillip, 1987)
Curriculum development should be viewed as a process by which meeting learners
needs leads to improvement of learners learning. Therefore, curriculum developers
should gather as much information as possible toward the learners needs. This
procedure used to collect information about the learners needs by Richards (2002,
p.51) is called as the needs analysis (NA). It is also said by Iwai (1999) as activities
that are involved in collecting information that will serve as the basis for developing
a curriculum that will meet the needs of a particular group of students. While
Brown (1995, p.21) as quoted by Takaaki (2006) also elaborate it as the systematic
collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to satisfy the language
learning requirements of the students within the context of the particular institutions
involved in the learning situation.
Historically, needs analysis was introduced into language teaching through the ESP
movement among 1960s to 1970s. Even though, this needs analysis was not
advocated only for ESP, but also for second/foreign language students in general. In
fact, needs analysis have been conducted informally for years by teachers who
wanted to assess what language points their students needed to learn. Indeed, the
various activities usually called approaches are different expressions of this desire
to figure out what students need to learn. Information sources for such informal
needs analysis might include scores on an overall language proficiency test, facts
gathered from a background questionnaire that asks where and for how long students
have had previous language training, or impressions gleaned from teacher and
students interviews about the students cognitive and linguistic abilities (Iwai et al,
1999). Further, for Johns (1991), the needs analysis is the first step in course design
and it provides validity and relevancy for all subsequent course design activities.
This information should include the desired outcomes or expectations of a high
quality program, the role of assessment, the current status of student achievement
and actual program content. The information should also consider the concerns and
attitudes of teachers, administrators, parents and also the learners.
B. THE PURPOSES OF NEED ANALYSIS

Richards (2002, p.52) on his discussion toward needs analysis says that the first step
in conducting a needs analysis is to decide exactly what its purpose or purposes are.
Basically, needs analysis in language teaching may be used for a number of different
purposes, such as:
To find out what language skills a learner needs in order to perform a particular role, such
as sales manager, tour guide, or university student
To help determine if an existing course adequately addresses the needs of potential students
To determine which students from a group are most in need of training in particular
language skills
To identify a change of direction that people in a reference group feel is important
To identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they needs to be able to do
To collect information about a particular problem learners are experiencing

Khan (2007, p. 46) on his dissertation explains that needs analysis conducted for the purpose
of evaluating learners and teachers attitudes, opinions and beliefs towards a proposed or
intended change or innovation should have the following frame work (adopted from Dudley-
Evans & ST.John, 1998, p.125):
Information about the learners related to their purpose of pursuing a learning program. Their
attitude to learning English language, their previous learning experiences, cultural
background should also form a part of this information gathering process. This information
can be gathered through various sources including institutional and through the learners
themselves
Present situational analysis which may provide information about the effectiveness of the
prevailing program
Information regarding the preferred styles of learning or learning needs
Information regarding the importance of particular skills for the learners and their
preferences for their learning those skills
Information regarding the role relationship between teacher and learners
C. THE KINDS OF NEED ANALYSIS

Organizational Analysis. has been with regard to employee training and other
management interventions An analysis of the business needs or other reasons the
training is desired. An analysis of the organization's strategies, goals, and
objectives. What is the organization overall trying to accomplish? The important
questions being answered by this analysis are who decided that training should be
conducted, why a training program is seen as the recommended solution to a business
problem, what the history of the organization.
Person Analysis. Analysis dealing with potential participants and instructors involved
in the process. The important questions being answered by this analysis are who will
receive the training and their level of existing knowledge on the subject, what is their
learning style, and who will conduct the training. Do the employees have required
skills? Are there changes to policies, procedures, software, or equipment that require
or necessitate training?
Work analysis / Task Analysis. Analysis of the tasks being performed. This is an
analysis of the job and the requirements for performing the work. Also known as a
task analysis or job analysis, this analysis seeks to specify the main duties and skill
level required. This helps ensure that the training which is developed will include
relevant links to the content of the job.
Performance Analysis. Are the employees performing up to the established
standard? If performance is below expectations, can training help to improve this
performance? Is there a Performance Gap?
Content Analysis. Analysis of documents, laws, procedures used on the job. This
analysis answers questions about what knowledge or information is used on this job.
This information comes from manuals, documents, or regulations. It is important that
the content of the training does not conflict or contradict job requirements. An
experienced worker can assist (as a subject matter expert) in determining the
appropriate content.
Training Suitability Analysis. Analysis of whether training is the desired solution.
Training is one of several solutions to employment problems. However, it may not
always be the best solution. It is important to determine if training will be effective in
its usage.
Cost-Benefit Analysis. Analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of training.
Effective training results in a return of value to the organization that is greater than
the initial investment to produce or administer the training.
D. STEPS AND EXAMPLES
These steps may seem familiar to people aware of general guidelines for evaluation planning
(see, for example, the Key Questions for Evaluation Planning in the ICYF Spring 2000
newsletter and logic model descriptions). The focus here is entirely on gap or need
analysis. The following steps are suggestions from McKillip, 1998.

1. First, you identify the audience and purposes for the analysis (what McKillip, 1998,
calls the users and uses). For example, members of a rural community might have
concerns about youth loitering at a local park. The PTA might commission a need
analysis to investigate the issue and to try to find solutions to youth hanging out and
getting into trouble.
2. Second targets include the individuals or groups who deliver the services; and Level 3
(Tertiary) involves the resources and inputs into the solutions (e.g., buildings, salaries,
facilities, etc.). These researchers emphasize that the focus of the need analysis should
be on Level 1 because that is the reason for the existence of levels 2 and 3, not the other
way around. In this example, the primary target population would be the rural youth.
The local teachers, coaches and school personnel would be one set of secondary targets.
The salaries, facilities, equipment, curricula and support mechanisms for the school
personnel would be tertiary targets.
3. The third step is need identification where descriptions of the problems (beyond the
general level noted in step 1) and possible solutions are generated. This is where you
illustrate the gaps between expected/ideal andactual outcomes. You want to gather
information from more than one level of target, although you should focus on the
primary targets. For example, if you only asked school personnel about the perceived
needs of the rural youth, you might get a different set of answers than you would if you
asked the youth themselves. Include a description of the expected outcomes of the
various solutions and, if possible, the estimated costs of each possible solution. The
fourth step is called needs assessment by McKillip (1998). This is the time to evaluate
the identified needs. Which are the most important? Do any of the needs conflict with
other needs? Is there consistent agreement across levels of target groups about the
relevance and importance of the needs? For example, an after-school program might
want to increase academic achievement of youth by offering extra activities that take
time the youth otherwise might have spent finishing their homework. An unexpected
outcome might be lower grades due to incomplete homework. Therefore, the youth
might not hold the same value for extra academic activities as the program staff who
created the program in the first place.
4. Finally, you communicate your results to the audience identified in the first step.
E. FUNGCIONAL OF NEED ANALYSIS

1. Describe the capability gaps in terms of the scenarios assessed and the effects on
achieving the relevant military objectives
2. Assess the impact of the capability gaps
3. Characterize capability gaps
o Proficiency (inability to achieve the relevant effect in particular conditions);
o Sufficiency (ability to achieve the effect but inability to bring the needed force to
bear due to force shortages or other commitments);
o Lack of existing capability;
o Need for recapitalization due to aging of an existing capability;
4. List the gaps that should be address or conclude that no pressing gaps exist.
F. THE TARGET OF NEED ANALYSIS

According to Richards, the target population in a needs analysis refers to the people about
whom information will be collected. For example in conducting a needs analysis to determine
the focus of an English program in public secondary school in an EFL context, then the target
population might include policy makers, ministry of education officials, teachers, students,
academics, employers, vocational training specialists, parents, influential individuals and
pressure groups, academic specialists, and community agencies.
Basically, sampling is an important issue in determining the target population. Sampling
involves asking a portion of the potential population instead of the population and seeks to
create sample that is representative of the total population. For example, in conducting a
needs analysis of studying foreign languages at a New Zealand university (Richards and
Gravatt, 1998) toward students motivation for selecting a language course, dropping a
language course, or choosing not to take a language course, then the sample that might be
taken from the whole population of New Zealand university students are: 1) students
currently enrolled in a foreign language course, 2) students previously enrolled but no longer
studying a language, 3) students who have never studied a foreign language. Actually, there
are some factors influenced in determining the approach of sampling, such as the
homogeneity of the population in terms of kinds of skills, attitudes, or knowledge being
sought or the need to study subgroups within the sample (based on sex, language groups, or
other factors).

G.METHODE NEED ANALYSIS

Space here is limited so only a list of sample techniques and possible steps where they could
be used are included. Refer to the web sites and other citations below for a complete
description.
Resource Inventory (Who provides What to Whom?; STEP 2)
Secondary Data Analysis (US Census, other data archives; STEP 2)
Surveys (Key Informants, Client Satisfaction, Training; STEPS 2, 3, 4)
Group Procedures (Focus Group, Nominal Group, Public Hearing, Community Forum
(ALL STEPS)